Tammy Baldwin and Dennis Dore were quoted in The American Lawyer* article, "With Return to Offices Still Uncertain, Big Law Shifts From When to How," regarding Perkins Coie's approach to remote work and the gradual shift back to working in-office. 

“Right now, remote work is mandatory, and our offices are in a condition of ‘limited access,’ which is pretty restrictive,” said Tammy Baldwin, chief of business operations at Perkins Coie. Aside from a few staff members handling essential functions—such as mail, technology support and procurement—and the rare, court-mandated trial, she said the firm has been working from home since mid-March and will stay remote, at lawyers’ discretion, through July.

In the meantime, Tammy and Dennis Dore, Perkins Coie’s director of business resilience, said they’ve been building up health and safety measures and documented plans to comply with new regulations and physical distancing best practices, including reducing the number of people allowed in the office, keeping workspaces at least six feet apart, adding floor markings to create a coffee-maker queue, requiring masks in public areas and limiting restroom occupancy.

“We’re tailoring the rules for each office, but we have a set foundation of protocols, including face coverings and not allowing more than six people in any given room,” Dennis said. ”We’re keeping up with local ordinances, how they’re differing, and how we can raise the bar so each office has continuity in its safety measures.”

“The main goal is making it feel comfy if people want to come in, but realizing everyone is in a different and unique situation, so they can make the choice and not feel any pressure,” he added.

As Perkins Coie’s Tammy emphasized, those adjustments will involve both firms and their employees, and may vary greatly from office to office—and person to person,

“Some people can’t wait to come back,” Tammy said. “While others are like, ‘See you in 2021.’”

*Subscription-based publication